oh this vegan life!

In the state of Mexico there is a great variety of mushrooms due to the humid land. It is common to run into vendors offering their delicious mushroom filled creations in the mercados and side roads. Sopa de hongos is the type of soup that reminds you that the simplest of recipes are often the best. This is my humble version of this appealing soup.

Ingredients

5 cups of diced mushrooms, I used white button, but any mushroom can be used

1/2 small onion minced

3 cloves garlic minced

2 bay leaves

1 tsp dried thyme

1 tbsp olive oil

8 cups of vegetable broth

1 1/2 tbsp vegan worcestershire sauce

salt and pepper to taste

1 tsp dried epasote leaves or 8 fresh whole leaves

10 dried arbol or japanese chiles

limes for serving

Preparation

Step 1 – heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a large soup pot, add onion and cook until golden brown; add the garlic, bay leaves, thyme and saute for 3 minutes; add the mushrooms and the worcestershire sauce, stir to combine with the onion mixture; cook for 10 minutes; when the mushrooms are dry and slightly browned, pour in the broth; add salt / pepper to taste and the epasote; simmer for 20 minutes.

Step 2 – in a small pan add 1 tsp oil and the dried chiles, stir until they darken in color and are toasted; transfer to paper towels to absorb excess oil; use a spice grinder to pulverize them into a powder, transfer to a small container; this toasted chili powder is the essential finishing touch to this soup, along with a squeeze of lime.

It is common to serve this soup with quesadillas, I served mine with avocado quesadillas today. I hope you enjoy!